Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Google Charts VS Plotly.js

Compare Google Charts VS Plotly.js and see what are their differences

Google Charts logo Google Charts

Interactive charts for browsers and mobile devices.

Plotly.js logo Plotly.js

Open-source JavaScript charting library behind Plotly and Dash - plotly/plotly.js
  • Google Charts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-10
  • Plotly.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26

Google Charts features and specs

  • Easy Integration
    Google Charts can be easily integrated with web applications by adding a simple script tag and using JavaScript for customization.
  • Wide Variety of Chart Types
    Google Charts supports a wide range of chart types including line charts, bar charts, pie charts, and more, allowing for comprehensive data visualization.
  • Dynamic Data Handling
    The library allows for dynamic data handling and real-time updates, enabling interactive and responsive charts.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility
    Google Charts is compatible with most modern browsers, ensuring a consistent experience across different platforms.
  • Customizable
    Offers extensive customization options such as modifying colors, labels, and tooltips, which allows developers to tailor visualizations to their specific needs.
  • Free to Use
    Google Charts is free to use, making it an appealing choice for developers looking for cost-effective data visualization solutions.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Provides extensive documentation and tutorials, which helps developers to quickly get started and resolve issues efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of Google Charts

  • Dependency on Google
    Requires an internet connection to fetch the Google Charts library, and performance can be affected if there are connectivity issues.
  • Limited Customization Compared to Alternatives
    Though customizable, it has fewer options and flexibility compared to other libraries like D3.js, which might be a limitation for advanced users.
  • Load Time
    The initial loading time of Google Charts can be slower compared to lightweight charting libraries due to the need to retrieve data from Google's servers.
  • Security Concerns
    As it relies on loading scripts from Google's servers, there might be security concerns in highly sensitive applications.
  • Not Open Source
    Google Charts is not open source, which might be a barrier for developers who prefer open-source solutions for greater control and transparency.
  • Limited Offline Support
    Static charts cannot be easily generated without an internet connection, limiting its use in offline applications.

Plotly.js features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Google Charts videos

Data Visualization for the Web Using Google Charts

More videos:

  • Review - Incorporating Google Charts in a FileMaker Solution | FileMaker Training
  • Review - Google Charts for Native Android Apps

Plotly.js videos

[Beginner] Simple Bar Chart | React Plotly.js

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Create Real-time Chart with Javascript | Plotly.js Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Charts and Plotly.js)
Data Dashboard
94 94%
6% 6
Charting Libraries
91 91%
9% 9
Data Visualization
94 94%
6% 6
Business Intelligence
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Google Charts and Plotly.js

Google Charts Reviews

15 JavaScript Libraries for Creating Beautiful Charts
Google Charts also comes with various customization options that help in changing the look of the graph. Charts are rendered using HTML5/SVG to provide cross-browser compatibility and cross-platform portability to iPhones, iPads, and Android. It also includes VML for supporting older IE versions.
Top 10 JavaScript Charting Libraries for Every Data Visualization Need
Google Charts is an excellent choice for projects that do not require complicated customization and prefer simplicity and stability.
Source: hackernoon.com
A Complete Overview of the Best Data Visualization Tools
Google Charts is a powerful, free data visualization tool that is specifically for creating interactive charts for embedding online. It works with dynamic data and the outputs are based purely on HTML5 and SVG, so they work in browsers without the use of additional plugins. Data sources include Google Spreadsheets, Google Fusion Tables, Salesforce, and other SQL databases.
Source: www.toptal.com
The Best Data Visualization Tools - Top 30 BI Software
Google Charts runs on SVG and HTML5, aiming for Android, iOS and total cross-browser compatibility, including older versions of Internet Explorer. All of the charts you can create are interactive and you may be able zoom in on some of them. The site offers a fairly comprehensive gallery where you can find a variety of types of visualizations and interactions that you can use.
Source: improvado.io

Plotly.js Reviews

15 JavaScript Libraries for Creating Beautiful Charts
Plotly.js is the first scientific JavaScript charting library for the web. It has been open-source since 2015, meaning anyone can use it for free. Plotly.js supports 20 chart types, including SVG maps, 3D charts, and statistical graphs. It’s built on top of D3.js and stack.gl.
Top 10 JavaScript Charting Libraries for Every Data Visualization Need
Plotly.js is a high-level JavaScript library, free and open-source. It is built on D3.js and WebGL, so can be used to create many different chart types including 3D charts to statistical graphs.
Source: hackernoon.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Google Charts should be more popular than Plotly.js. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Google Charts mentions (10)

  • The top 11 React chart libraries for data visualization
    This library leverages the robustness of Google’s chart tools combined with a React-friendly experience. It is ideal for developers familiar with Google’s visualization ecosystem. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Using Images in a chart?
    I tried adding the images as labels and it didn't work. If this is possible at all, it would probably require Google Charts. Source: about 2 years ago
  • What are some good graph visualization libraries?
    Google's is a bit simpler to work with but more basic in terms of features https://developers.google.com/chart. Source: over 2 years ago
  • 5 Best Free JS Chart Libraries
    Google charts Https://developers.google.com/chart. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Suggestions for super simple QR code generator
    I did find a nice solution for Access forms where you can use a web browser control and developers.google.com/chart to render a QR code in that control based on the contents of other controls (textboxes, comboboxes, etc.,.). This would be perfect if it didn't a) rely on an active WAN connection and b) rely on that specific URL being active indefinitely. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

Plotly.js mentions (4)

  • Weekly JavaScript Roundup: Friday Links 17, February 07, 2025
    Plotly.js - Open-source JavaScript charting library behind Plotly and Dash. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: What packages can be used to create interactive mathematics simulations?
    Well, MathML[1] support is (nearly) everywhere now, and as the docs say: MathML Core is a subset with increased implementation details based on rules from LaTeX and the Open Font Format. It is tailored for browsers and designed specifically to work well with other web standards including HTML, CSS, DOM, JavaScript. I don't have a lot of experience working with this stuff (yet) but if you can script your... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • What's new in Matplotlib 3.7.0 (Feb 13, 2023)
    Plotly offers multiple options (python, R, javascript). The weby stuff is done with plotly.js and uses d3.js underneath - https://github.com/plotly/plotly.js. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • How to decide between Dash versus Flask + React + Plotly.js?
    So you didn't use Django DRF as the backend? I'm just curious how Dash communicated with Django - did it communicate via plain HTTP calls? I guess you ran non-React Plotly.js (https://github.com/plotly/plotly.js)? Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Charts and Plotly.js, you can also consider the following products

Highcharts - A charting library written in pure JavaScript, offering an easy way of adding interactive charts to your web site or web application

D3.js - D3.js is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. D3 helps you bring data to life using HTML, SVG, and CSS.

Chart.js - Easy, object oriented client side graphs for designers and developers.

Tableau - Tableau can help anyone see and understand their data. Connect to almost any database, drag and drop to create visualizations, and share with a click.

Flot - Flot is a pure Javascript plotting library for jQuery.

Plotly - Low-Code Data Apps